Bulgaria - The social impact of seasonal migration

Table 20. There are people and companies whose business is to provide advice to
Bulgarians who want to go and live or work in another country. Have you
ever been in contact with such people or companies?
1992 1996 2001
Yes 16% 17% 20.1%
No 80% 57% 57.0%
Do not care 3% 24% 20.3%
No response 1% 2% 2.6%
Table 21. Based on your experience, are they credible?
1992 1996 2001
They are credible 10% 2% 2.8%
They are credible to some extent 33% 15% 16.3%
They are not particularly credible 27% 21% 22.5%
They are not credible at all 19% 24% 20.6%
Do not care/ have not been in contact with
such people or companies
9% 32% 33.2%
No response 2% 6% 4.7%
Inn addition, the existence of relatives abroad, as it was already mentioned, is a very
powerful motive behind the intention to migrate, a reason for migration chosen by 21%
of respondents who have decided to work and live in a foreign country. This figure is
reinforced even further when compared to the number of Bulgarians who would not
migrate because of family ties keeping them in their home country. Relations with
family, friends and the society as a whole constitute a significant reason which binds
62% of all Bulgarians aged 18-60 to their homeland. For 78% of respondents who do not
plan to migrate, ties with their family and friends are strong enough to deter them from
leaving Bulgaria. Therefore if friends and relatives do go abroad, this would constitute a
mighty incentive for displacement and cross-border movement for their peers and kin.
Provided that 20% of respondents have relatives permanently living in some EU
member-state, this percentage may well reflect a stable migration intention. We may
expect a chain migration with around one-fifth of the respondents who wish to migrate
following their friends and relatives who had already settled abroad.
Ethnic migration
The NSI data show that the ethnic structure of potential emigrants corresponds to a
great extent to the ethnic structure of the population in Bulgaria. Potential emigrants
from Bulgaria include 80% ethnic Bulgarians, 12% Turks, 6% Roma, and 2% other. Among
those who would emigrate for good the ethnic Bulgarians are 81%, the Turks - 13%, and
the Roma - 2%. Potential labour migrations would be formed by 77% ethnic Bulgarians,
12% Turks and 8% Roma. For short-term migration these figures are, respectively, 83%
ethnic Bulgarians, 10% Turks and 4% Roma. On the basis of these data, one can conclude
that emigration for good would be more popular among Turks. Roma prefer labour
migration, and ethnic Bulgarians - short-term migration.
Our research team found out that emigration to different countries has different ethnic
profile; it is also geographically determined and depends on the informal migrant
networks already operating in different countries. For instance, it is told that from all the
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